Eighteen former Aggie Vizzers help "Up" soar

Former visualization students from Texas A&M University made major contributions to "Up," the Walt Disney Pictures and Pixar Animation Studios summer smash that received the Oscar for best Animated Feature Film from the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences on March 7. In addition to winning the animation statuette, “Up” was also nominated for the best film award, the only feature ever to compete in both categories. "Up" additionally took home the Oscar for Best Original Score and was nominated for Sound Editing and Best Original Screenplay.

Prior to Sunday night's gala "Up" had already enjoyed critical acclaim, garnering a Golden Globe from the Hollywood Foreign Press Association on January 17 for Best Animated Feature Film.

The Balloon Adventure
"Up" follows the tale of 78-year-old balloon salesman Carl Fredricksen, who fulfills his lifelong dream of a great adventure when he ties thousands of balloons to his house and flies away to the wilds of South America.

What he doesn't realize until it's too late is that an overly optimistic 8-year-old Wilderness Explorer named Russell has stowed away on the trip.

Aggies Team "Up"
Six former visualization students had leadership roles in creating the film: Jean-Claude Kalache, director of photography/lighting; Gary Bruins, effects supervisor; John Halstead, sets supervisor; Robert Moyer, character shading and groom lead, Eric Andraos, sets materials lead; and Mitch Kopelman, technical lighting lead.

Also contributing to the film, a critical success that led box office receipts in its opening weekend with a $68 million gross, were Christina Garcia and P. Antonio Piedra, set dressing artists, Patrick James, a matte paint technician, and Landon Gray, a sets technical developer.

Helping with the film’s lighting were Angelique Reisch and Kim Ross, key lighting artists, and Don Bui, a shot lighting artist.

In the effects department, Jon Reisch contributed as a development and effects artist, and Chris Chapman and Keith Daniel Klohn were effects artists.

Sue Maatouk-Kalache provided production support, and Eric Peden was on the rendering pipeline group team.

Pixar’s Investment in Aggies
In addition to hiring visualization graduates, Pixar supports the Texas A&M program through visiting artist lectures, one-on-one reviews of student work, and scholarships for current students given by former students who work at Pixar with matching funds from the studio.

The program, created in response to clear indications that digital visualization was going to play an important role in digital communication, began as the Visualization Laboratory in 1988 in the College of Architecture. The Department of Visualization was established in January 2008 and in Fall 2009 the department began offering a Bachelor of Science in Visualization degree.

Click here to visit the Web site for Texas A&M’s Department of Visualization.

For more information about how you can support the College of Architecture, contact Larry Zuber, senior director of development, at (800) 392-3310 or (979) 845-0939.

Former student starts custom-tailored menswear company after trip to China

By Drew Jones ’05
Owner and Founder
DJones Tailored Collection

I’ve always loved Texas A&M, but I gained a greater appreciation for the university upon graduation in 2006. I realized that all it takes is two Aggie rings for strangers to become great acquaintances, friends or business associates.

During my time at A&M, I was heavily involved on campus. I quickly learned that the student organizations and other educational opportunities outside the classroom would inspire and challenge me.

A&M taught me to step outside my comfort zone and look for opportunities that would nurture my growth as an individual. Through internship and study abroad programs at Texas A&M, I spent time in El Salvador, Singapore, Italy and China.

I moved to Beijing to do manual labor at the U.S. Embassy construction site. I’m not sure that my finance degree from A&M’s Mays Business School helped me with sweeping floors. But during my 18 months in China, I made connections with fabric suppliers and contract manufacturers and developed a business plan that enabled me to start my custom-tailored menswear company, DJones Tailored Collection, in 2007.

My A&M experiences and the people I met in college changed my life. Since founding my company, Aggies have supported me, worked for me and collaborated with me to help achieve the success and growth of DJones Tailored Collection, a company based in the Dallas/Fort Worth metroplex.

Aggies stick together and trust one another. That is the amazing part of A&M that no other university will ever experience nor truly understand.

Learn more about DJones Tailored Collection.

To support leadership-building programs and out-of-the-classroom activities at Texas A&M, contact Cindy Munson ‘99, assistant director of development for student affairs, at (800) 392-3310 or (979) 458-1689.

To learn how you can support Mays Business School, contact David Hicks ‘75, senior director of development, at (800) 392-3310 or (979) 845-2904.

A&M facility aims to shore up weak link in food chain.

By Dorian Martin

What’s the buzz about in Texas A&M University’s entomology department? Researchers and Texas beekeepers are astir about the creation of the new Janice and John G. Thomas ’59 Honey Bee Facility, dedicated on February 20, 2010. "The dreams, passions, and hard work of many have brought us to the opening of this much needed facility," said Dr. Kevin Heinz, head of Texas A&M’s entomology department. "The Janice and John Thomas (’59) Honey Bee Facility provides the necessary infrastructure to insure research on honey bees continues well into the future."

Honey bee research and education began a century ago at Texas A&M. However, in 1965 Texas A&M’s last bee researcher left to work at Harvard. As Texas A&M and other state and federal institutions scaled back research programs, honey bees began facing a variety of external and economic threats.

"All of these problems significantly impacted the bottom line of the commercial beekeeper," said Thomas, a Texas AgriLife Extension entomologist emeritus who served as the Texas Beekeepers Association’s executive secretary for 14 years. "And these issues also had an impact on consumers since about one-third of what we eat has to be pollinated."

Facility Created to Solve Critical Problems
The real-world external and economic threats faced by the honey bee industry proved to be the impetus for A&M to review and renew its commitment to honey bees and beekeepers. "The problems that we’ve faced during the past 20 years as well as those we’re now facing in the field are the biggest reasons for having the research facility," said Todd Youngblood, the TBA president.

The facility, which was initially suggested in the early 1990s when the first African bee colony was discovered in South Texas, was created through a campaign coordinated by the Texas A&M Foundation. Financial support came from TBA, the Thomases, the Heep Foundation, Texas A&M’s Department of Entomology, and Texas AgriLife Research. Dr. Craig Nessler, director of Texas AgriLife Research, said, "This wonderful new facility will support this and other translational research to ensure that this critical component of our agroecosystem continues to thrive and prosper."

For more information about how you can support Texas A&M’s Department of Entomology, contact Monica Delisa, senior director of development for Texas A&M’s College of Agriculture and Life Sciences, at (979) 847-9314.

College Station’s hottest new yogurt shop started by Mays students, current and former

By Shae Ford ’11, student writing intern for Mays Business Online

When David Mebane ’98 enlisted the help of the Mays Business Fellows to create a concept for a new business venture in College Station, he was thinking something along the lines of a drive-in movie theatre. What he got was the city’s hottest frozen yogurt shop, Spoons.

What began as a project for the Fellows has turned into a frozen treat sensation since the shop opened on Texas Avenue last fall. Andrew Pappas ’10, a senior accounting major at Mays, pitched the concept to Mebane alongside his teammates for a class project. Mebane was intrigued and started exploring options with them, moving it from concept to concrete business plan.

Learning Yogurt, Inside and Out
Any successful entrepreneur will tell you that in order to sell a product well, you have to know it inside and out. Each of the team members learned more about yogurt than they ever cared to: the difference in flavors across brands, what flavors were available, and which toppings consumers were most likely to pair with yogurt were only a few of the questions the Fellows team had to answer. Yogurt aside, Pappas spent an entire summer working alongside Mebane as they ironed out the logistics of opening the shop. Not only did everything have to be plugged in, decorated, and arranged, the team also entered the HR realm by working with employees to insure exceptional customer service.

Spooning for a Cause
Besides being simply delicious, Spoons’ competitive edge comes from the way it interacts with its community. The shop has become a popular hangout for Fish Camp groups and other campus organizations, and has partnered with various organizations to raise money for causes. Jennifer Hayes ’11, an officer of Christian Business Leaders at Mays, visited Spoons last semester to help raise money for CBL’s Support the Troops drive. "It was a very easy process. We called, set a date, signed some paperwork, ate yogurt, and made money," says Hayes.

When tragedy struck Haiti and students wanted to support the relief effort, Mebane donated every penny Spoons made on a recent weekday to the American Red Cross. Events like "Spooning for Haiti" appeared on Facebook, and the group "Eat Spoons-Help Less Fortunate!" had more than 1,600 members within a few days. The result? Spoons flooded with customers and experienced record sales.

A True Aggie Venture
Hayes said it best when she described what makes the business successful. "Right down to the shirts for sale, which say ‘Come Spoon with Us,’ [Spoons] appeals to the average college student." Perhaps that has to do with the fact it was created in part by business-savvy Mays students.

To learn how you can support students at the Mays Business School, contact David Hicks ‘ 75 with the Texas A&M Foundation at (979) 845-2904. This article was first published in the February 2010 edition of Mays Business Online.

New weather station at A&M’s Costa Rica center helps students track rainforest climate changes.

By Kara Socol

Aggies Kim Soltis and Matthew Hammer ’80 are carrying on a family tradition in the dense, cloud-covered rainforest of Costa Rica. On a mountain bordering the forest near San Isidro de Peñas Blancas, the Hammers and her father, Charles W. 'Bill' Soltis ’55, have bought plots of clear-cut land, where they are replanting trees.

Since farmers began cutting timber on the mountains to plant their crops, the forest’s microclimate has changed--an event that threatens the fragile rainforest ecosystem. But with a new weather station at the nearby Texas A&M Soltis Center, they hope to determine whether or not their efforts are paying off.

The Soltis Center Experience
The establishment of the weather station--which will make its appearance at the center as early as June--is made possible by the Hammers’ recent gift to the Texas A&M Foundation. The couple resides in Corpus Christi, and Kim Hammer completed her undergraduate work at Texas A&M University-Corpus Christi. Bolstered by a matching gift proposition, financial support of area friends has increased the dollar amount of the Hammers’ gift, which in combination will fully fund the necessary instruments for the weather station.

The Soltis Center facilities were donated to Texas A&M by Soltis and his late wife, Wanda--tireless advocates for preservation of the Costa Rican rainforest. For the past year, the center has provided students with international experiences in environmental conservation and other regional issues.

The center attracts faculty and students from numerous Texas A&M academic disciplines, including the geography department. Dr. Steven Quiring, a climatologist and assistant professor of geography, said that information generated from the weather station will be used for hydrological, climatological and biological research.

Climate Change Research
For Quiring and his students, scientific data obtained with the new weather instruments will be particularly relevant for climate change research. Once the station is complete, it will be part of the Global Historical Climatology Network, which monitors long-term trends in temperature and precipitation.

As a geophysicist, Matthew Hammer is particularly interested in this climate change aspect of Soltis Center research. "I think that, in general, we don’t know nearly enough about climate and weather to support a lot of the broad claims being made on both sides of the global warming discussion," he said. "Putting a weather center anywhere is a good thing. More data is always better."

Along with its research and educational uses, the weather station will provide Costa Ricans in the area with a convenience Americans take for granted: weather forecasts.

"Forecasts are made with weather models, so you need accurate information about current conditions to get good forecasts," Quiring explained. "The equipment purchased by the Hammers will provide this information."

To learn more about the Soltis Center, visit its web site.

Watch a video about the Soltis Center.

For more information about how you can support the weather station at Texas A&M’s Soltis Center, contact Diane Barron ‘81, director of development for Texas A&M’s College of Geosciences, at (979) 862-4944.

To support other opportunities at the Soltis Center, contact Carl Jaedicke ’73, assistant vice president for development, at (800) 392-3310.

In summer 2009, seventeen Aggies went to Africa to study rangeland ecology. Most had never been outside the United States.

With help from Shelby Metcalf and J. Wayne Stark, a small-town boy is lifted from oil field worker to successful entrepreneur.

By Alice Bassett, Texas A&M Foundation

As a high school senior, Lee Walker ’63 was working in the oil patch in Three Rivers, Texas, when Aggie basketball coach Shelby Metcalf ’74 showed up and asked, "Would you like to go to A&M on a basketball scholarship?"

"I was very tall, and I was a good student, so I fit the bill," Walker said. "We went to a basketball court and I played one-on-one with Shelby Metcalf. I was an awkward teenager, and my feet and hands were still slick from the oil patch, but I played OK and he recruited me."

Were it not for his height, smarts and that meeting, Walker may have stayed in Three Rivers all his life.

The Force Field of Stark
During his senior year at A&M, Walker’s father died. In that same month he met J. Wayne Stark ’39, the first director of the Memorial Student Center. "Little did I know I was entering this force field of Stark," he said. Stark was a father figure, opening Walker’s mind to the world. While enrolled at A&M, he studied in Yugoslavia, Sweden and Africa.

Successful Entrepreneur
Walker later attended Harvard Business School. He was president of the startup company that became Dell Computer Corp. He is now a University of Texas professor teaching the honors course Pathways to Civic Engagement. "At Texas A&M, I learned community and place. I didn’t learn that at Harvard Business School," Walker said.

Keeping the Gifts Alive
"My wonderful father gave me my life. But Wayne was like an intervention. I want to keep their gifts alive," Walker said. To do so, he is building the J. Wayne Stark/Dallas Walker Leadership Endowment -- honoring both men -- to offer future Aggies a global perspective.

Walker is funding his gift through a bequest to the Texas A&M Foundation. "There is a sense of closure from making an inventory of the gifts you have received and sorting them out in your will. It’s not an obligation, but an opportunity," Walker said. "I figured out how to take that gift from Wayne and keep it alive. That is the core of philanthropy."

Walker advises others to think deeply about gifts they received, including an Aggie education, and how to keep those gifts alive. "None of us got where we are by ourselves."

To learn more about how you can keep your own Aggie gifts alive through a bequest to the Texas A&M Foundation, contact Glenn Pittsford ’72, assistant vice president for gift planning, at (800) 392-3310 or (979) 847-8700.

This article was first published in the fall 2009 issue of Spirit magazine.

Students Help Texas A&M Foundation Score Millions

While the Aggie men’s and women’s basketball teams dominated center court this weekend, the Texas A&M Foundation Maroon Coats put on their own full court press to recruit the next team of distinguished students who will serve as fundraising ambassadors for Texas A&M.

Wearing their signature attire, the Maroon Coats fanned out around the venue to greet hundreds of potential recruits and fill them in on how to apply before the deadline on Jan. 28.

"The reaction from the people I spoke with has been incredible," said Lianna Grissom, ’11, a communication major from Lubbock who is serving as this year’s Maroon Coat secretary. "When I describe how they can have a role in shaping the university’s future, they are just blown away."

Where Service and Opportunity Meet
The Maroon Coats include some of the top student leaders across campus, such as student body president, MSC president and Interfraternity Council president. They serve as the student arm of the Texas A&M Foundation, accompanying development officers on visits with current and potential donors, and cultivating relationships with former students, interacting with them at Foundation events and hosting them on campus. With more than 450 hours of service under their coats, the organization has made quite an impact on A&M.

Live Intentionally. Serve Passionately.
Taylor Bradshaw, strategy intern for the Maroon Coats and a senior accounting major, said that the organization’s officers look to recruit students who have a unique passion for the university.

"Our ultimate goal is that every student will leave Texas A&M knowing about the Foundation," Bradshaw said, "and that every donor and prospective donor will be reminded of the memorable Aggie spirit that still resides in the hearts of current students."

Applications
Applications are due Jan. 28 and can be found at marooncoats.tamu.edu.

CARPOOL grooms leaders and saves lives.

By Mikaela Davis ‘09

A night of drinking and the decision to drive cost Jeff Schiefelbein ’00 18 months of probation, 60 hours of community service and a suspended license. Those consequences led him to become an activist on the DWI issue.

And in September 1999, Caring Aggies R Protecting Over Our Lives (CARPOOL), an official Texas A&M University student-run organization, was born.

It’s a Bird! It’s a Plane! It’s CARPOOL!
CARPOOL runs like a motivated superhero of the night, providing free rides to drivers who have had too much to drink and to others who need safe transportation home. True to its strict moral code, the nonprofit organization offers a nonjudgmental ride between 10 p.m. and 3 a.m. Thursdays, Fridays and Saturdays in Bryan/College Station. On those nights during fall and spring semesters, 45 student volunteers stand by waiting for their chance to give a lift and possibly save a life.

Learning From Experience
CARPOOL leaders and volunteers learn valuable lessons that often transfer to the business world. Caleb Phillips ’08, a CARPOOL member for six semesters, uses his experience to mentor new volunteers. "Without these personal bonds, CARPOOL wouldn’t work," he said. "The group interaction between Aggies is the backbone of our organization."

Volunteers are also united in giving back. CARPOOL is "community service defined," Phillips said. "It’s a rewarding feeling when I take someone home and then see them safe on campus the next day."

"Aggies Take Care of Aggies"
CARPOOL’s growing popularity is a mixed blessing: waiting lines of patrons, especially at Northgate, can be long. On a typical night, 17 or 18 cars and 45 student volunteers drive more than 200 students home, but sometimes the number of rides exceeds 400. From its inception through summer 2009, CARPOOL has given safe rides to about 150,000 patrons. Meeting demand will take more vehicles and student volunteers -- and a sizable operating fund.

To alleviate financial pressure, CARPOOL--like many A&M student organizations--has an endowment managed by the Texas A&M Foundation. CARPOOL leaders hope to raise $2 million for their 3-year-old endowment so its interest can meet annual budget needs of $125,000 to $160,000. So far, they have raised about $75,000.

The organization’s largest source of operating income is an annual gala, a formal dinner followed by a live and silent auction. In 2008, the gala brought in $46,000. The 2009 gala, hurt by the weak economy, brought in $10,000. Gala director Laura Wolken ’10 has high hopes for the March 6, 2010, gala, which celebrates CARPOOL’s 10th anniversary. "Though we are working on a smaller budget than last year, I do hope to raise more. I hope the economy swings in our favor."

This is an excerpt from an article first published in the fall 2009 issue of Spirit magazine. Since the printing of this article CARPOOL has encountered some financial difficulties stemming from the economy and been forced to temporarily suspend services.

To make an immediate financial impact on CARPOOL operations, you can make a credit card gift here by selecting "Student Activities" and "CARPOOL Endowed Operating Fund" from the two drop-down menus and indicating "For current use" in the Special Instructions/Comments box. You can also submit check contributions made out to "CARPOOL" to 127 John J. Koldus Building, College Station, TX 77843-1236.

Ask the HR department at your company if they will support Texas A&M through an employee matching gift program. A match could double, triple or even quadruple your gift to CARPOOL.

To learn how you can make a significant contribution to the CARPOOL endowment, contact Cindy Munson ’99, assistant director of development for student affairs, at (800) 392-3310 or (979) 458-1689.

A&M researchers develop a "first draft" sequence of the cattle genome.

Healthy cattle that produce superior beef and milk are the cream of every rancher’s crop. In a study that could lead to higher-quality animals, scientists from the College of Veterinary Medicine & Biomedical Sciences and Texas AgriLife Research participated in a research consortium that developed a "first draft" sequence of the cattle genome.

Researchers used the complete sequence from a single Hereford cow and comparative genome sequences for six more breeds, looking for changes called single nucleotide polymorphisms (SNPs), which are markers that can help researchers identify favorable traits. Researchers used SNPs in 497 cattle from 19 geographically and biologically diverse breeds and two related species (anoa and water buffalo). The results could assist in selective breeding and genetically modified cattle as well as provide insights into molecular and cellular mechanisms that lead to developing traits of interest.

Dr. James Womack, a distinguished professor in the College of Veterinary Medicine & Biomedical Sciences and a team leader on the project, said the work "opens the door to look at all sorts of specific interests in cattle, from disease immunity to better meat quality and milk production. Ten to 20 years down the line, this will lead to new avenues in cattle research."

Led by the Baylor College of Medicine Human Genome Sequencing Center, more than 300 scientists from 25 countries spent six years completing the project.

To learn how you can support research and academics in the College of Veterinary Medicine & Biomedical Sciences at Texas A&M, contact Dr. Guy Sheppard ’77 at (800) 392-3310.

Agriculture students travel to Africa for a global-study course on rangelands and wildlife.

By Mary Vinnedge ’75

Seventeen Aggies got an up-close and personal look at African rangelands and wildlife as part of a six-credit-hour ecosystem management global-study course in the College of Agriculture and Life Sciences. From May 30 to June 28, Aggies visited northeastern South Africa, with a focus on semi-arid savannas, and northern Botswana, with a focus on its wetlands and nearby conservation areas and communities.

Dr. Urs Kreuter, associate professor in the Department of Ecosystem Science and Management and Texas AgriLife Research Rangeland scientist, has led five of the seven study-abroad classes in Africa since they began in 2002. "For most students, this is their first experience of Africa’s tremendous biological and cultural diversity," Kreuter said. The experience provides them with a much deeper understanding of Africa, its wildlife and its people.

"In Africa, it is important to think about impoverished communities that coexist with or live near wildlife if conservation is to be successful. It is critical to simultaneously consider the ecological and human dimensions of conservation."

For example, in South Africa’s Kruger National Park and in Botswana’s Chobe National Park, overabundant elephants threaten the habitats of endangered species, such as black rhinos and ground hornbill, by knocking down trees. "Park managers have tried many methods to reduce elephant populations, including birth control, but the only option seems to be highly unpopular culling."

While in Africa, students keep travel logs, present seminars and produce group reports with case studies affecting biodiversity and tourism.

Watch a video about their travels here.

To learn how you can support the College of Agriculture and Life Sciences at Texas A&M University, contact Monica Delisa, senior director of development, at (800) 392-3310 or (979) 847-9314.

Architecture professor keeps A&M students on the cutting-edge of health-care facility design.

By Dorian Martin

Architecture professor George Mann literally invests in his students, using funds from his endowed chair to do so. "To me, being a professor at a university should be all about the students. My approach means we have a network of people working together with similar interests. The fringe benefit is that students come up with great research ideas. Teaching, research and practice are closely related and evolve together this way."

Mann, who holds the Ronald L. Skaggs ’65 ’67and Joseph G. Sprague ’70 Endowed Chair in Health Facilities Design, helps to cover students’ project and travel expenses as he involves them in every design project he undertakes.

Mann’s studio class exposes today’s Aggies to health-care architecture and the expectations of professional architects. The studio is "fast-paced, information flying everywhere, working as teams, designing concepts and research," said Rameez Baloch ’10, who is working on a proposed new hospital for the Ninth Ward in New Orleans.

Mann also helps students settle on a career direction. "I want to do health care because he arranged for us to be exposed to leaders in the field of health-care design through a visiting lecture series which features recognized leaders speaking weekly about critical issues in the design of health facilities," said Dustin Matula ’10. "He’s shown us what an impact we can have and what we’re getting into."

This hands-on approach also benefits client organizations. During his tenure at Texas A&M, Mann and his students have participated in more than 700 projects. One such project generated “a fresh perspective and creative thinking" about expanding Health For All, a free clinic in Bryan, said Executive Director Derek Dictson. Ideas included placing the clinic in a Walmart, incorporating sustainable design concepts, and creating rooftop gardens for patients and staff to enjoy.

For more information about how you can support the College of Architecture, contact: Larry Zuber, senior director of development, at (800) 392-3310 or (979) 845-0939.